by Yasmin | Apr 14, 2011 | 1970s, Christmas, Toys
1978 commercial from the UK and Ireland for Aurora Racing Sets
Aurora Plastics Corporation was founded in March, 1950 by engineer Joseph E. Giammarino (1916–1992) and businessman Abe Shikes (1908–1997) in Brooklyn, New York (moving to West Hempstead, Long Island in 1954), as a contract manufacturer of injection molded plastics.
With the hiring in 1952 of salesman John Cuomo (1901–1971), the company began the manufacture of its own line of plastic model kits. These kits were marketed to young hobbyists, as were the kits of rivals Monogram and Revell. Aurora profitably targeted to a younger demographic than their competitors, creating smaller-sized, less detailed models at a lower price point.
Although their first offerings were aircraft kits in a “Famous Fighters” line,[2] it is with their figure kits that Aurora is most associated and had their biggest success. Following a series of “knights in armor” and historical figures, Aurora acquired a license from Universal Studios to create a line of kits based on Universal monsters, which became the company’s most popular offerings. Aurora’s kit of Frankenstein appeared in 1961, and was followed by twelve other monster figures that were issued and reissued in various versions through the early 1970s. Together with their other licensed models based on characters from movies, TV shows and comic books, Aurora’s figure kits continue to be highly valued by collectors.[3] Aurora used artist James Bama for some of their box art.
Info gleaned from Wikipedia
by Yasmin | Mar 24, 2011 | Uncategorized
1984 commercial for Star Wars Action Figures.
Star Wars is an American epic space opera franchise conceived by George Lucas. The first film in the franchise was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year intervals. Sixteen years after the release of the trilogy’s final film, the first in a new prequel trilogy of films was released, again at three-year intervals, with the final film released on May 19, 2005.
As of 2008, the overall box office revenue generated by the six Star Wars films has totalled approximately $4.41 billion,[1] making it the third-highest-grossing film series,[2] behind only the James Bond and Harry Potter films.
The Star Wars film series has spawned other media including books, television series, video games, and comic books. These supplements to the film trilogies comprise the Star Wars Expanded Universe, and have resulted in significant development of the series’ fictional universe. These media kept the franchise going in the interim between the film trilogies. In 2008, Star Wars: The Clone Wars was released to theaters as the first ever worldwide theatrical Star Wars film outside of the main trilogies. It was the franchise’s first animated film, and was intended as an introduction to the Expanded Universe series of the same name, a 3D CGI animated series based on a previous 2D animated series of a similar name.
Info gleaned from Wikipedia
by Yasmin | Aug 19, 2010 | 1980s, Christmas, Toys
My Little Pony is a brand of toy ponies marketed primarily to young girls and produced by the toy manufacturer Hasbro. These ponies can be identified by their colourful bodies and manes, and typically a unique symbol or series of symbols on one or both sides of their haunches, the ponies are always named after the symbols on their haunches.
Following the related My Pretty Pony toy, introduced in 1981, “My Little Pony” was launched in 1983. The line became immensely popular during the 80s, at one point even outselling Mattel’s Barbie. The original toy line ran from 1983 to 1995 (1992 in the U.S.) and inspired animated specials, including an animated feature length movie and two animated television series. The brand was relaunched between 1997 and 2003 (1999 in the U.S.), and then fully relaunched globally in 2003. My Little Pony celebrated its 25th Anniversary in 2008.
Info gleaned from Wikipedia
by Yasmin | Aug 10, 2010 | 1980s, Christmas, Toys
1988 Oh Penny Bluebird advert.
Matchbox made the Oh Penny range of toys which initially comprised a furnished dolls house with a family of five miniature people plus their pet cat and dog.
Later on Matchbox created more Oh Penny toys including a tree house, swimming pool, a barn and a creek to put around the house. The Oh Penny family also had a trailer for going on vacation!
by Yasmin | Aug 9, 2010 | 1980s, Christmas, Toys
1988 Castle Lovely Locks Matell
Lady Lovely Locks and the Pixietails was a character property created by American Greetings Corporation (creators of Strawberry Shortcake, Care Bears, and Popples among others) in the mid-1980s. The characters were licensed for a toyline by Mattel, and for a syndicated animated television series by DiC in 1987. However, only 20 episodes were produced in all.
The Lady Lovely Locks toyline was created by Mattel and produced from 1987 to 1989. The toyline consists of character dolls that are approximately 8.5 inches tall, with certain dolls having long, colorful locks. Most dolls came with three to four Pixietails (small plastic animals with long silky tails). The Pixietails could be worn in the hair of either Lady Lovely Locks or the child. Additional items in the toyline were other pets and setting playsets.
Info gleaned from Wikipedia
1978 commercial from the UK and Ireland for Aurora Racing Sets
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